The Favorite (2019) Poster

(2019)

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4/10
Faith-Based Film Can Be Awkward in Its Presentation
larrys321 December 2019
I'm obviously in the minority here but I just found this faith-based film to be quite awkward and strained in its presentation, with quite a lot of stilted dialogue and acting.

We see in the closing credits that the movie is actually based on the miraculous recovery, from an auto accident, of Luke Benjamin Bernard, who stars in the film and also wrote the screenplay. However in the film itself, Matthew Fahey portrays Luke with Bernard in the role of his brother Ben.

There's also a concurrent theme here of a brother's deep resentment that his father was constantly favoring his sibling. I felt the movie handled this healing process in a heartfelt manner.

Overall, faith-based films are not usually my cup of tea, but as one can see other reviewers found more in this movie than I could.
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6/10
The father figure was in the wrong, but movie still inspiring
kristintremba13 August 2020
Warning: Spoilers
The first half of the movie showed a father clearly not loving one of his sons and favoring his other son. Hence, the title "The Favorite". I found it unrealistic and disturbing that the son apologized for misperceiving his father's lack of love after watching home videos that showed his Dad being affectionate. He was surprised and said, "I was wrong about my Dad." What? We watched his dad ignore him repeatedly, while favoring the other son; his dad did not show up for his wrestling matches while he constantly attended his other son's soccer matches; his dad did not have time for this son when this son reached out and tried to connect with him ever since he was a kid. However, despite all this, the son watches old home videos of his Dad showing him affection and realizes it was all a misunderstanding and that he (the neglected son) is just "messed up." I don't think so. The father never acknowledged neglecting his son or apologized for it, even though he finally came around to standing up for his son and spending time with him - finally! The father's only excuse was that his other son was easier to have a relationship with. Wow! Really? Fathers are to initiate a relationship with their sons. A son should not have to initiate and beg to have a relationship with his father. Fortunately, his brother apologized and said, "I wasn't a good brother. I was a jerk." Amen to that. The dad should have said the same. It's sad and hurtful to see this play out in this movie script and other movies where I've seen it before. "You just perceived I didn't love you..." No, love is action. Love is words. Love is showing up. If the writer was trying to protect fatherhood or somehow make the father character symbolize God the Father, it didn't work. Thank God we don't have to beg and wait for God the Father to show us attention. God the Father is a good father. He is always there for us, and he makes it very clear through the Bible and the Holy Spirit living in us that he loves us. The essence of the Trinity is the loving relationship between the Father and his own beloved Son, Jesus. The Father and Son and Holy Spirit initiated, suffered, and sacrificed greatly through the cross to show each one of us how much we are loved, forgiven, valued, esteemed and saved. That being said, the other elements of the movie were praiseworthy and inspiring. The man who wrote the script should be commended for his acting and scriptwriting, even with my disappointment regarding the father/son depiction. Praise the Lord for his life and ministry through this film. God bless!
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3/10
Dismiss the 10-star Reviews
genious-3541319 January 2020
We all understand that imdb is now flooded with fake reviews - but it's that it's so obvious. This is NOT a 10-star movie. Even if you place ridiculous amounts of importance on the faith-based contrived background. It's a nice story... it's got a nice message. The acting is... well, it will do. The dialog is rather wooden and forced. The message is delivered in the usual ham-handed way these movies tend to be. If you're not one of those people that almost exclusively seeks out this kind of propaganda-lite material, you'e wasting your time. You will find it hokey and even embarrassing to get through at times.
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8/10
Great stories need to be told and heard!
agreenerimage9 September 2018
I was most awed by the story behind the story and how the true life experience of Luke Bernard was woven into his screenplay--which was a second, unique story in itself. Bravo!
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7/10
Heartfelt faith-based tale of favoritism has emotional moments
lukecon-6343621 August 2020
A good movie meant for teens and up. Some of the content can be emotionally intense for some viewers, as the plot involves some very emotional scenes with yelling, crying, and arguing. These scenes may not be suitable for sensitive viewers. The acting, while sometimes melodramatic, is overall heartfelt--in an effective way. You could sometimes feel the characters' emotions--or at least understand their emotions/reactions to certain situations. These emotions are deeply expressed through the emotional acting. Sure, some of the performances could use some changes for the better, but nevertheless, the acting is overall good. However, it could definitely use some changes in dialogue. The dialogue was pretty cheesy at times, with some cringe-worthy one-liners that didn't feel realistic. These lines could have been left out of the script; the dialogue could have felt more realistic as a result. Nonetheless, one great aspect of the film involves the cinematography. The cinematography brilliantly conveys characters' emotions, displaying a reaction or emotional feeling using effective methods. These methods could also help add to the emotional aspect of the film. Bottom line, The Favorite is a good movie that is worth a watch, while very emotional at times.
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1/10
Awful awful awful 😞
romelxavier76728 November 2020
This movie stinks. There is not one good part of the movie. There is not one good quality actor in this movie. This was painfully bad. It was so frustrating to watch. Oh my goodness, I cannot stress how bad this is. Yikes.
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10/10
A must-see movie
shameekwright13 September 2018
I am not going to sit here and tell you the movie but I can tell you this it had me doing a whole lot of thinking of my past relationship with my father and brother. This is a must-see movie. I recommend that you go and see it
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10/10
Must See!
haleyswan19 September 2018
So let me start out by saying i have known Luke for a long time. I have watched him perform in plays with my sister at Dunedin high school always wanting to be like him and my sister looking up to them both they had really inspired me to do acting and singing at my school and that's when I started singing in my dad's church band and also my dad has been very close with his family and still know him and talk to his family to this day. When we got the news about the accident Luke was in we couldn't believe it we were all in tears and all praying so very hard day and night but even though he went through this tragic event he is still pushing forward and He is always great at what he sets his mind to. I remember the day he came into my dads church and announced he had a movie in the making And also told us his story and I was astounded after all that he been through that he could possibly get up and talk about it at all. Also the fact that he can take a dream he had while he was in the hospital and make it in to a movie that looks and feels real is amazing. This movie will put you on the edge of your seat, Make you think about your life a lot, And also put things into perspective. There are a whole lot of feelings that come with this movie. i do give kudos to Luke though for being a strong hearted man and diligent towards this having gone through a huge accident like he did and being able to act out some of the scenes in this movie that had to do with it no one i know would ever do that because of the flashbacks. I most definitely can relate to this movie on so many levels and i know a lot of people out there can to. It is definitely a must see top notch movie if you are looking for a movie to inspire you this is most definitely one that can change your life. there are some loose ends in the move so i'm most definitely hoping there will be a second to tie those lose ends up. I got some ideas if your interested. Anyways what a great story and movie Luke Bernard great job I commend you for the hard work you have put into this it really shows you really do show that miracles can happen. And to everyone else please go see this movie I promise you it will definitely be worth two whole hours of your life!
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9/10
Wonderful story made better when you know the background
serhardtinfla10 September 2018
Not very often do you connect with a movie like this! This movie opened my eyes to how MY brother probably felt growing up. I was the 3 sport athlete that excelled and he was the younger brother who struggled to make the team. My folks showed up at most of my games yet my brother never knew if he was even going to start. I feel I need to reach out to my brother to apologize.

The movie was entertaining, well written and contained great action scenes. I knew the background of Luke Bernard, to realize that it was HE who was in the near death accident yet was able to not only write this screenplay, but co-produce it AND be the lead actor, obviously this was a miracle and God does have a purpose for him, and it might be more than just this movie!

Well done, and thank you!
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10/10
Very inspirational
tania_hutchison19 September 2018
Watched the movie with granddaughter. Very glad we were able to see it. Best movie ever
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10/10
Great movie with a solid message
Flagirl2711 September 2018
What I loved about this movie is that it had something for everyone in our family. There is romance, action, and a solid story line about relationships that everyone can relate to. I was deeply touched by the message and it got me doing some real soul searching. I was very impressed with the quality of acting and production. I would not recommend this for smaller children as there are some fighting scenes that are very realistic, but I found nothing offensive that made me uneasy about having teenagers there.
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10/10
Worthwhile
stefanie-6265313 September 2018
This movie had all the feels, joy, sadness, frustration, anger, love- you couldn't help but root for both brothers to get well in their own way. A great film and example of our Father's Love, unending and steadfast. Well done!
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9/10
Inspirational
pabrucefan21 March 2020
Good family film that everyone can enjoy. Good acting and a finely written script.
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9/10
Wow what a film
caroldobson19 January 2020
Warning: Spoilers
The film was really good. I couldnt believe that the injuries Luke had in the film was actually what had happened to the actor who played Ben ! I was a bit confused as cant believe anyone with a severe brain injury can make a full recovery. The story is so well written and the acting was very good. Miracles do happen ! Don't listen to negative comments you cant please everyone !
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9/10
Emotional
kandydolor17 January 2020
This movie shows how unintentional neglect can cause resentment to the point it ruins lives.
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10/10
EXCELLENT MOVIE
debandstac-178994 May 2020
A TRUE movie based on real people in Florida. Awesome, kept you interested. The healing of God throughout the movie and healing of emotions. Superb!! Family oriented, No cussing, plenty of talkable points.
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